Trying to value vinyl records is tough if you don’t know what you are looking at. I wanted to put together this guide for those of you who see vinyl records often. Many ask me what to look for, so here’s your guide.
A couple of things to keep in mind…
- Not all vinyl records have value! I’d say about 95% of the vinyl I see does NOT have collectible value. Most of it is garbage!
- Condition is crucial. Having the cover with the record is the minimum condition I accept. No covers without discs, and no discs without covers!
- Pressing is important…1st pressings are usually more desirable.
Types of music that is desirable
- Rock ‘n Roll
- Alternative Rock
- Jazz (not big band/swing)
- Blues
- Punk
- Metal
- Reggae
- R&B/Soul/Funk/Northern Soul
- Psychedelic Rock
- Progressive Rock
- Some Gospel
- Some Soundtracks (horror, sci fi are good ones)
- Oddball releases
- Some Country
- Some Classical (most classical has no value, and it has to be in TOP condition to have value)
Types of music that has no collectible value
- Big band/swing
- Easy Listening
- Broadway
- Orchestra
- Opera
- Childrens Music
- Dixieland/Ragtime Jazz
There are exceptions to all of the genres listed above, however, these lists are a good rule of thumb. MOST RECORDS HAVE CLOSE TO ZERO VALUE!
One piece of advice I tell everyone is “if it sold a ton of records when it came out, there’s a good chance it has mediocre value in a secondary market”.
EXAMPLE >> The Eagles Greatest Hits – this is the biggest selling release of the 20th century. EVERY collection I go out and look at has this in it. As a result, the secondary market value is minimal. The resurgence of vinyl records, however, has made this record creep up to the $10-$20 range if clean and with the poster.
The Beatles are probably the only band that bucks this trend. There are more people wanting to purchase their records than there are CLEAN Beatles records out there. I say CLEAN because Beatles records were played to DEATH, hence, the ones I see in collections have tons of scratches and the covers are beat up. CLEAN Beatles records will command higher prices.
Bottom line here is >> For the desirable genres listed above, if it’s clean, there will be more interest in the record.
I purchased 40,000 LPs from ONE collector in 2012. He was buying out stores, so there were 50 Rolling Stones, 60 Billy Joels, etc..in the collection. The record that sold the highest?
RAY TERRACE Oye El Cuchy Frito Man ORIGINAL Killer BOOGALOO Latin LP in Shrink…$280!
(yeah, I hadn’t heard of him either!)
What does this mean? Oddball and unusual records MAY have some value. I have a friend who used to own a record store. When people would call him with a collection they wanted to sell, he’d say, “name some of the artists in the collection, and don’t try to impress me.” EVERYONE has Beatles, Stones, Who, Springsteen, Joel…it’s those oddball artists and releases we want to hear about…THEY have collectability.
Condition – a clean cover and a disc with minimal wear will have more collectible value than others. Just because it has the cover, doesn’t mean it’s in great shape. Each piece (cover, disc) has to be in top shape to command big bucks.
PLEASE CALL ME REGARDLESS OF WHAT YOU HAVE! I will ask you questions over the phone about the collection and for the most part, can determine if it is worthwhile for me to visit. I’d rather you call me than not call me.
I travel all over for significant collections (see the list below).
Bulk Junk Vinyl
If I don’t buy it, I know someone who will! I work with a gentleman who buys junk vinyl in bulk. He’s in Middletown, so the further out from Middletown the records are, the larger the quantity will have to be for him to be interested. If your record has a cover and the record, and the cover isn’t torn, water damaged, or completely split apart, he’s interested.
I recently passed on a 2,200 piece vinyl collection and handed it over to him. He purchased it within a week of my visit and the woman was thrilled to be rid of these countless boxes of heavy vinyl.
Collections I’ve traveled for and consigned or purchased…this will give you an idea of the types of collections that I’m looking for. You want to find niche genres which will have a better return:
- Former Metallica/Queensryche manager (northern NJ) – this gentleman died, his lawyer contacted me to sell his record and CD collection. All rock and roll, but rare issues and pressings. About 3,000 LPs and 5,000 CDs. Collection sold for $25,000 (consignment).
- 25,000 count jazz collection (northern NJ) – A woman’s father died and left his kids 25,000 jazz pieces. There were 250 boxes each with 100 LPs in it. MOST of this jazz was under $20 a piece. Many were from the 1950s and 1960s in their original shrink wrap. I bulked a lot of it out on eBay in 25 count lots. Collection sold for over $100,000 (consignment).
- 40,000 LPs (Long Island) – A woman inherited her husband’s horde of LPs. He was buying out stores, so there were multiple copies of the same LP in the stash. Also, there were 50 Rolling Stones, 60 Billy Joels, 40 Springsteen, etc…just incredible. I purchased this collection in 2012 and it sold for about $30,000. Right off the top, my bulk buyer purchased 20,000 from this collection!
- 6,000 R&B LPs & 45s from a record label executive (Northern NJ) – Very clean LPs and 45s. One 45 sold for $350..I had SIX of them! Tons of funk, soul, and R&B..many promos. Collection sold for ($30,000) via consignment.
- 3,000 LPs and 2,000 CDs (Dallas, TX) – I traveled to Dallas to pick up this incredible psychedelic rock/progressive rock/punk collection of LPs and 45s. Meticulously put together by one collector, it was one of the best collections I’ve ever seen. It sold for $30,000 (consignment).
- 750 electronic, house records from a French collector. Picked up in May 2021, about 600 have been listed on Discogs alone and he has sold $4,500 already. A tremendous collection! (consignment)
Bottom line is, please contact me when you come across a significant vinyl collection. I can help you, even when I don’t purchase them, I can help you get rid of them in some way.
Thanks!
Mark Cunningham
